Circle prospecting — texting homeowners near a recent listing or sale — is one of the highest-leverage outbound tactics in real estate. A single sold home gives you a genuine, neighborhood-specific reason to reach out to 200–500 surrounding households. But the tactic only works if your messages are short, specific, and sent compliantly. Generic solicitation texts get ignored at best and reported at worst.
What Makes a Circle Prospecting Text Actually Work?
The difference between a text that gets a reply and one that gets blocked is specificity. Homeowners respond when the message feels like useful local information, not a cold pitch. Three things that matter most:
- Reference the specific event — "123 Maple just sold in 4 days" beats "homes are selling fast in your area"
- Keep it under 160 characters so it reads like a real person sent it
- Ask one clear question — not three — so the recipient knows what you want
Circle Prospecting Text Scripts You Can Use Today
These scripts are written for real scenarios. Swap in the actual address, your name, and your brokerage. Each one is under 160 characters and references a neighborhood-specific event.
| Scenario | Script | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Just sold — curious neighbors | Hi, I'm [Name] with [Brokerage]. 123 Maple St just sold for $X — curious what your home might be worth? Happy to share a quick estimate. Reply STOP to opt out. | 158 |
| Just listed — drum up buyer interest | Hi, I'm [Name] with [Brokerage]. A home just listed on your street at 123 Maple. Know anyone looking in [Neighborhood]? Happy to send details. Reply STOP to opt out. | 160 |
| Multiple sales — market momentum | Hi, I'm [Name] with [Brokerage]. 3 homes sold on your block this month — values are moving. Want a quick update on yours? Reply STOP to opt out. | 142 |
| Off-market inquiry | Hi, I'm [Name] with [Brokerage]. A buyer is actively looking in [Neighborhood] — no home listed yet. Would you consider an offer on your home? Reply STOP to opt out. | 163 |
| Follow-up after no reply | Hi [Name], just circling back — the activity at 123 Maple may affect your home's value. Worth a 5-min chat? Reply STOP to opt out. | 130 |
Always include an opt-out mechanism ("Reply STOP to opt out") in every message. This isn't optional — it's required under TCPA and carrier guidelines for A2P messaging.
What Is the TCPA Risk With Circle Prospecting Texts?
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) restricts texting cell phones for marketing purposes without prior express written consent or an established business relationship. Circle prospecting typically targets homeowners you've never interacted with — which means your consent documentation and outreach basis matter a lot.
Key things agents need to document before sending:
- The basis for outreach — e.g., publicly listed property address, neighborhood proximity to a recent transaction
- Opt-out handling — you must honor STOP requests immediately and permanently
- The channel used — texting from a personal cell number does not protect you; A2P (application-to-person) messaging through a 10DLC-registered number does
InfinitySMS handles 10DLC registration on your behalf, so your circle prospecting campaigns go through compliant A2P channels — not your personal cell number. This is the channel-level protection carriers now require for business texting.
What Is 10DLC and Why Does It Matter for Circle Prospecting?
10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) is the carrier-mandated registration system for businesses sending SMS at volume in the US. If you're texting 200–500 homeowners around a listing, you're sending at volume — even if it doesn't feel that way. Unregistered numbers get filtered by carriers, meaning your messages either don't arrive or land in spam. 10DLC registration tells carriers who you are, what you're sending, and why, which dramatically improves deliverability.
Agents who send circle prospecting texts from their personal iPhone or through an unregistered platform are taking on both deliverability risk and legal exposure. A 10DLC-registered number through a platform like InfinitySMS is the practical fix.
What Does Circle Prospecting Actually Cost With InfinitySMS?
InfinitySMS charges a flat $99/month plus $0.02 per message sent — no per-seat fees, no credit expiry. Here's what that looks like for a typical circle prospecting campaign:
| Contacts Texted | Send Cost (@$0.02) | Monthly Base | Total First Month | Cost Per Contact Reached |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 neighbors | $4.00 | $99 | $103.00 | $0.515 |
| 500 neighbors | $10.00 | $99 | $109.00 | $0.218 |
| 1,000 neighbors | $20.00 | $99 | $119.00 | $0.119 |
| 2,500 neighbors (multiple listings) | $50.00 | $99 | $149.00 | $0.060 |
For context: texting 500 neighbors around a listing costs $10 in send fees. If one of those conversations turns into a listing appointment, the math is straightforward. The $99 base covers your entire team — InfinitySMS doesn't charge per agent or per seat.
How Does InfinitySMS Compare for Circle Prospecting?
| Platform | Pricing Model | 10DLC Handled? | Per-Seat Fee? | Built for Real Estate? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InfinitySMS | $99/mo + $0.02/send | Yes, included | No | Yes |
| SlickText | Per-contact tiered plans | Yes | Varies by plan | No |
| SimpleTexting | Per-credit plans | Yes | Add-on cost | No |
| EZTexting | Per-contact tiered plans | Yes | Varies | No |
| Personal cell / iMessage | Free | No | N/A | No — and legally risky |
Competitor pricing changes frequently. Verify current plans directly with each provider before deciding. The table above reflects general pricing structures as of 2025.
Step-by-Step: Running a Circle Prospecting Text Campaign
- 1Identify your radius — typically 200–500 homes around the subject property, depending on neighborhood density
- 2Pull contact data — use your MLS, a skip-tracing service, or a data provider to get cell numbers for homeowners in the radius
- 3Document your outreach basis — note the specific listing or sale that makes this outreach relevant and neighborhood-specific
- 4Customize your script — use one of the templates above, insert the actual address and sale details, and include your opt-out language
- 5Load your contacts into InfinitySMS and schedule the send — avoid early morning or late evening delivery
- 6Monitor replies in real time and respond personally — the text gets the conversation started; you close it
- 7Honor all STOP requests immediately — your platform should handle this automatically
Common Mistakes Agents Make With Circle Prospecting Texts
- Sending from a personal number — carriers now filter high-volume sends from unregistered numbers
- Using a generic script with no neighborhood reference — "I help buyers and sellers in your area" is not a reason to reply
- Texting too many questions at once — one ask per message, always
- Skipping the opt-out line — required by law, full stop
- Following up too aggressively — one initial message and one follow-up is a reasonable cadence for cold outreach
- Buying lists without verifying cell vs. landline — texting a landline wastes money and can still trigger complaints
Is circle prospecting by text legal?
It depends on how it's done. Texting cell phones for marketing without prior express written consent carries TCPA risk. However, agents who have an established business relationship with a contact, or who can document a legitimate non-commercial informational basis for outreach (such as notifying neighbors of a local sale), may have a defensible position. You should consult your broker's legal counsel about your specific outreach basis. Regardless, using a 10DLC-registered A2P platform and honoring opt-outs is non-negotiable.
How many homes should I text for circle prospecting?
Most agents text 200–500 homes per listing, depending on neighborhood density. In a tight suburban grid, 500 homes might be a 3–4 block radius. In rural areas, 200 might cover a significant geography. At $0.02 per send with InfinitySMS, texting 500 neighbors costs $10 in send fees — so the budget constraint is rarely the limiting factor.
What's the best time to send circle prospecting texts?
Mid-morning on weekdays — between 9 AM and 11 AM local time — tends to get the best reply rates for cold outbound texts. Avoid early morning (before 8 AM), late evening (after 8 PM), and Sunday mornings. TCPA also restricts calls and texts to certain hours, so staying within the 8 AM–9 PM window in the recipient's local time zone is a baseline requirement.